The future weapons of Indian military

This is a thread for discussing about future weapons of Indian military.

Arjun Mk. II MBT

Arjun Mk.2

DRDO rather than starting all over again the Arjun Mk.2 will have the same design of Arjun Mk.1, but major changes are planned for the new generation variant of Arjun Tank to keep up with the new technological changes which are been incorporated in the MBTâ€™s world over.

Arjun Mk.2 will have Battle Field Management System (BFMS) which will enable the tank to get feed from UAVâ€˜s and Helicopters, which then enable the Arjun Mk.2 tank crew much aware of their surroundings and better understanding of the battle zone, this will lead to improvement in coordinating with other Friendly tanks in the zone and also avoid Friendly kills, it will also give information regarding enemy tank movement along with their troops and help navigate terrain in the battle zone.

Self-diagnostic system (SDS) will also be added to Arjun Mk.2 which is like a health monitoring system. it will not only tell the tank crew if it is having any problem but also point out the trouble area , it is also important when Tank has taken multiple hits from different position and from different ammunition after a self-diagnose Tank crew will know exact damage inflicted on the Tank .

Arjun Mk.2 will get a new efficient 1500bhp engine which has been in development by DRDO in India its self, they are reports that a Indian Private industry is also working with DRDO on the engine development, currently Arjun Mk.1 is powered by German supplied 1400bhp engine which is quite old in design and technical parameters but still a powerful and respected engine in the world.

NERA (non-explosive reactive armor) will be added to Arjun Mk.2 this will give the tank additional protection against anti-tank munitions, unlike ERA, NERA will enable tank to take multiple hits anti-tank munitions, but also increase the weight of Arjun Mk.2 to 60 tons from its current weight (Arjun Mk.1) of 58 tons.

It is much likely that Arjun Mk.2 will also spot Air-conditioning system for the crew, which will be powered from an APU which will draw its power from the Main engine of the Tank; this will enable the tank crew to operate in higher temperature of desert heat without any discomfort to the tank crew, Arjun Mk.1 already has hardened electronics that function perfectly even in the Rajasthan summer without requiring any Air-conditioning system

The Arjun Mk.2 is to undergo summer and winter trails in 2011. If the tests are satisfactory, then the tank will be able to begin production in 2014.

The Indian Army wants the tank to have an Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system "to obviate chances of own tanks firing at each other in battle", and a whole new reliable and secure mobile communication system capable of data transmission, audio and video conference. Protection in the form of soft-kill system requires IR detectors, laser warning, radar warning and devices to instantaneously integrate these signals and control a countermeasure suite. Such systems are threat specific so all would have to be carried on a vehicle to gain protection against more than one part of the EM threat spectrum.

For mobility, in order to achieve ‘extraordinary’ acceleration, the Army observes that it is necessary to seek a compact power pack in the form of a gas turbine. The Army wants an active suspension system with sensors, control units, and a hydraulic power source in combination, to automatically alter the suspension characteristics to more closely match the speed of the vehicle and the terrain profile, especially in Indian terrain conditions.

The Army says it wants a high-performance armour system on its FMBT with advanced materials incorporating the following qualities A. Reduced penetration by most lethal weapons, B. Elimination of parasitic mass leading to a weight reduction, C. Excellent corrosion resistance, D. Inherent thermal and acoustic insulation properties.

The Indian Army plans to induct the FMBT from 2020 onwards.
Statuslanning

The Mark 2 variant will include a more powerful engine, optimisation of the aerodynamic qualities and weight of the aircraft and “dropping and replacing” certain parts to take care of obsolescence. The project is currently moving from planning to the design phase. It is expected that a working aircraft will be flying in 2013 before returning for further tweeking. A second round of test flights should hopefully take place in 2014. The Mark 2 is expected to enter sevice with the Indian Air Force and Navy in 3Q 2015.

The AMCA will have "serpentine-shaped" air intakes, internal weapons bays, and advanced radomes to increase its stealth features. Radar-absorbing composites and paints will supplement the design.

The design phase will last until 2016 when a prototype will be produced. Testing phases will occur between 2016 and 2021. Limited production will begin in 2022 and more to Full scale production in 2023.

The Sukhoi/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) is a fifth-generation fighter being developed by Russia and India. It is a derivative project from the PAK FA (T-50 is the prototype) being developed for the Indian Air Force (FGFA is the official designation for the Indian version).Two separate prototypes will be developed, one by Russia and a separate one by India. According to HAL chairman A.K. Baweja shortly after the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Committee meeting on 18 September 2008, the Russian version of the aircraft will be a single-seater, the Indian version will be a twin seater, analogous to the Su-30MKI which is a twin seat variant of the baseline Su-27.

A contract between Bangalore-based Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), will commit to building 214 fighters for the IAF and 250 fighters for Russia. The option for further orders will be kept open. HAL and UAC will be equal partners in a joint venture company, much like the Brahmos JV, that will develop and manufacture the FGFA.[5] Further it was reported that the Bangalore-based HAL has negotiated firmly to get a 25 per cent share of design and development work in the FGFA programme. HAL’s work share will include critical software, including the mission computer; navigation systems; most of the cockpit displays; the counter measure dispensing (CMD) systems; and modifying Sukhoi’s single-seat prototype into the twin-seat fighter that the Indian Air Force (IAF) wants. Further Russia’s expertise in titanium structures will be complemented by India’s experience in composites like in the fuselage. A total of 500 aircraft are planned with option for further aircraft. Russian Air Force will have 200 single seated and 50 twin-seated PAK FAs while Indian Air Force will get 166 single seated and 48 twin-seated FGFAs.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) started design work on the intermediate jet trainer in 1997.

The aircraft is built from light alloy and composites, using a conventional low wing design with a sweptback wing of 9.8m span and 18Â° leading edge sweepback. About a quarter of the aircraft's line replaceable units are common with the HAL Tejas trainer aircraft.

The aircraft features a hydraulically retractable tricycle-type landing gear. The single-wheeled main units retract inward and the twin nose wheel unit retracts forward.

The aircraft can also be used in light-attack role. It has five external hardpoints for carrying weapon systems. There is one centre-line hardpoint under the fuselage and two weapon pylons under each wing for carrying rocket and gun pods and bombs. The maximum external payload is 1,000 kg.

Initially meant for the Tejas Mk.1 and then again for the Tejas Mk.2, the Kaveri Standard is likely to see first induction on the AMCA and/or UAVs made by India. The Kaveri is a low-bypass-ratio (BPR) afterburning turbofan engine featuring a six-stage core high-pressure (HP) compressor with variable inlet guide vanes (IGVs), a three-stage low-pressure (LP) compressor with transonic blading, an annular combustion chamber, and cooled single-stage HP and LP turbines. The development model is fitted with an advanced convergent-divergent ("con-di") variable nozzle, but the GTRE hoped to fit production Tejas aircraft with an axisymmetric, multi-axis thrust-vectoring nozzle to further enhance the LCA's agility.

The aircraft engine development comes in two stages. The first stage is a lower thrust engine known as 35VS and a second higher thrust engine named 40V. The 40V will go on the AMCA with the 35VS able to be placed on early Tejas Mk 1 aircraft when the aircraft can be upgraded. The 35VS has finished designing and testing with the 40V finishing around 2020.

First flight of Rustom-1 took place on 16-11-2009 at the Taneja Aerospace Air Field near Hosur. The demonstration resulted in the prototype crashing to the ground. Stated by the DRDO, the taxiing and takeoff was exactly as planned. Due to misjudgment of altitude of the flight, the on-board engine was switched off through ground command which made the on-board thrust developed to go to zero. Despite the mishap, the state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation stated: "The flight proved the functioning of a number of systems such as aerodynamics, redundant flight control, engine and datalink, which go a long way towards the development of a complex UAV."

At least 10 more test flights of the Rustom design are expected before the system can be taken up for production. Rustom-1 had its second "maiden" flight on 15/10/2010. In this test flight, the UAV flew for 30 minutes at an altitude of 3000 feet.

The Rustom-1 is currently will undergo several more test flights through 2011 and 2012 with an induction date set for 2013.

The AURA will see an increase in the capability of the unmanned aircraft that the Indian Air Force currently operates. It will be able to fly farther away from the ground station through the use of a datalink. It will come with dual internal bomb bays that can carry many type of guided armanments. The decision to have internal weapons bays goes along with the theme of a stealth UCAV.

DRDO is currently in the prelimanary stages of the project. They hope to have a test flight of the system by 2015/2016 with a induction year of 2019/2020.

The LCH incorporates stealth features and crash landing gear for survivability. The LCH will have a narrow fuselage, with two crew stations. The LCH is being designed to fit into an anti-infantry and anti-armour role and will be able to operate at high altitudes.

The LCH TD-1 made its first flight on March 29, 2010. The second flight took place on April 28, 2010 at 15:30 hrs. Over 20 Test flights have been conducted to check various flight parameters.The third test flight of the LCH was successfully made on 23 May 2010 and it fulfilled the desired parameters and also paves the way for further testing with weapons. As of 17 December 2010 TD-1 has logged 50 hours of flight. The second prototype which will be weaponized with more sub-systems was unveiled at Aero India 2011 in February 2011. Two more prototypes are under construction to speed up the process of its induction into the Indian Air Force in the year 2012.

The military intends for this helicopter to be used for Reconnaissance and Surveillance, carrying small numbers of troops and equipment, scouting, and casualty evacuation.

The single turboshaft engine will have dual channel FADEC and backup fuel control. There will be a glass cockpit with smart cockpit display system (SCDS), and skid landing gear. The fuselage will be able to accommodate two pilots and six passengers, and feature crashworthy seats.

The UAC/HAL Il-214 Multirole Transport Aircraft (MRTA) is a medium-lift military transport aircraft which is being constructed as a joint venture of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) of Russia and Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) of India.Both companies will invest US$300 million each in the joint venture.

The Il-214 will replace the Indian Air Force's aging fleet of Antonov An-32 transport aircraft. The aircraft will be able to perform regular transport duties and will also be designed to deploy paratroopers. It is expected to fly by 2014 and to enter service by 2015/16

MLH
HAL is planning to develop a Medium Lift Helicopter in the 10-15 ton class. It is currently looking for foreign partners either from Russia or France-based Eurocopter. HAL has plans of producing around 350 medium lift helicopters. The 10-tonne helicopter would be offered to the Indian Navy to meet its requirement for heavy-lift helicopters. The Indian Navy had earlier refused to accept the HAL Dhruv, as it did not meet its requirement.

In July 2009, HAL cancelled an active tender for the co-development of the helicopter for which Eurocopter and Mil Helicopters had been shortlisted as potential technology and investment partners. HAL informed the two companies that the tender had to be scrapped because the qualitiative requirements of the armed forces have substantially changed. A fresh tender is scheduled to be out in September.

Agni-V
The Agni-V is a three stage solid fueled missile with composite motor casing in the third stage. Two stages of this missile will be made of composite material. Agni-V will be able to carry multiple warheads and will have countermeasures against Anti-ballistic missile systems.

The missile will utilize a canister and will be launched from it. Sixty percent of the missile will be similar to the Agni-III missile. Advanced technologies like ring laser gyroscope and accelerometer will be used in the new missile.

In many other respects, the Agni-V, which made its first flight in 2011, carries forward the Agni-3 pedigree. With composites used extensively to reduce weight, and a third stage added on (the Agni-3 was a two-stage missile).

"The Agni-V is specially tailored for road-mobility," explains Avinash Chander, Director, ASL. "With the canister having been successfully developed, all India's future land-based strategic missiles will be canisterised as well".

"You can reduce the payload and (further) increase the range of Agni-V" Saraswat told the Reuters in Feb 2010.

Another major technological breakthrough that will beef up the Agni-V is ASL's success in developing and testing MIRVs (multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles). A MIRV, atop an Agni-V missile, comprises three to 10 separate nuclear warheads. Each warhead can be assigned to a separate target, separated by hundreds of kilometres; alternatively, two or more warheads can be assigned to one target.

The Agni-V will be entering service soon, as final preparations are taking place. (2013)